Constantine Lascaris

Lascaris, Constantine (kŏnˈstəntēn lăsˈkərĭs) [key], d. 1501?, Greek grammarian. After the fall of Constantinople, Lascaris went to Italy and in Milan obtained the patronage of Francesco Sforza. His Greek grammar (1476) was the first book printed in Greek characters. He earned fame as a teacher of Greek and a leading proponent of the new learning of the Renaissance in Italy. His brother, Andreas Joannes Lascaris or Janus Lascaris, c.1445–1535, taught Greek in Florence, Paris, and Rome.